Welcome back to our blog series about the Fantastic Four CPI! This time, we’re taking a look at how issues in the index fared in 2024.
2024 Overview
While the Fantastic Four CPI just debuted a few months ago, we’re able to track sales going back much further. The end of the year is a good time to take stock in how the market fared over the past year. Overall, the CPI was down 3.16%, falling from an index value of 4,341 on December 24, 2023 to 4,204 on December 22, 2024. Of the 85 issues in the index, 24 saw gains, 57 lost value, and four ended the year right where they started the previous year.
2024 Gainers
The big story of the year was the sale of a 9.6 graded copy of Fantastic Four #1 in the September 15 Heritage auction for $2,040,000. This one sale caused the issue’s index value to increase 127%. However, a look across all grades reveals a more nuanced picture. Seven grades were up, eight grades were down, and the rest were flat. Yes, we should all be excited by that huge sale back in September. Yet, remove that one sale and you likely have a comic that would have followed its index trend and decreased slightly in value, as was the case until one of three top-of-census copies blew the lid off the value of this book.
Fantastic Four #39 benefited greatly from the renewed interest in Doctor Doom. The 9.3% increase in index value was driven primarily by sales in the second half of the year and following the Robert Downey, Jr. announcement.
Agatha Harkness’s first appearance in Fantastic Four #94 saw a surge in value with the release of Agatha All Along on Disney+ back in September. The 30% gain followed years of declining value for this once-favorite of those chasing spec. Expect the gains to turn back into losses as attention on this issue fades once more.
Another beneficiary of the Doom interest was Fantastic Four #86, which saw a 20.2 increase in index value. This is one of Jack Kirby’s all-time great Doctor Doom covers, so the gains could have some staying power.
One of the more interesting gainers on the list is Fantastic Four #164. Despite no news of Frankie Raye or quantum bands definitively coming to the MCU, speculators continued to drive values 23.3% higher in 2024, particularly in the higher grades.
News that Herbie the Robot would be appearing in Fantastic Four: First Steps drove collectors to seek out the character’s first appearance in Fantastic Four #209. While the index value was up 31% for the year, it’s down 33.3% from its February peak, a cautionary tale about trying to ride the vagaries of spec.
2024 Losers
No early FF issue took a bigger beating in 2024 than Fantastic Four #4. The first appearance of the Sub-Mariner in the Silver Age lost 8.6% of its value, continuing a multi-year trend. There wasn’t a bright spot in a single grade.
The first appearances of the Silver Surfer and Galactus in Fantastic Four #48 continued to be pummeled by market forces that forced an 11.8% decline in index value. Particularly hard hit were the higher grades. Two factors working against this book: the lack of the Surfer or Galactus on the cover and the abundance of graded copies in the marketplace – 10,163 in the CGC census.
Of all the Lee/Kirby issues none suffered as much as Fantastic Four #67 in 2024. The first appearance of Him/Adam Warlock lost 17.8% in value and fell behind the first appearances of Black Bolt, Medusa, Attuma, and the Hate Monger in the index. Ouch.
With the announcement that a female Silver Surfer would be appearing in Fantastic Four: First Steps speculator bubbles could be heard popping in various places in the FF CPI. One prominent issue was Fantastic Four #211, featuring the first appearance of Terrax. It was down 21% for the year yet still wasn’t the worst performing of Galactus Herald issues.
An interesting 2024 loser was Fantastic Four #166 which lost 17.1% in value. The first part of a two-part Thing/Hulk storyline, it dropped while the second part – Fantastic Four #167 – gained 16.7%. Sometimes the market does things that defy explanation.
And now on to the big loser in the Herald of Galactus sweepstakes: Fantastic Four #244. Down a staggering 31% in value, this issue had a steep fall from its overinflated prices of the past few years. ‘Nuff said.
